President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is this year’s winner of the Isa Beg Ishakovic International Award, which is handed over only to public figures, namely, presidents and prime ministers.

Axar.az reports that the information was confirmed by Chairman of the International Award Isa Beg Ishakovic Committee, Academician Ljubomir Berberovic, who stated that committee decided on it by a majority vote.

The Isa Beg Ishakovic International Award is the biggest civic recognition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The visit of President Aliyev to Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the International Award Isa beg Ishakovic will be presented to him, is the first visit of the president of Azerbaijan to this country since the establishment of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

That also represents a confirmation of the strong bilateral cooperation between the two countries, as well as the friendship between capital cities Sarajevo and Baku, which became brother cities back in 1972.

The award bears the name of Isa Beg Ishakovic, prominent Ottoman statesman and founder of Sarajevo - the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegović, Federal President of Austria Heinz Fischer, President of Slovenia Borut Pahor, President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov, President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová received this prestigious award in different years.

The award consists of a unique stone sculpture - a kaleidoscope of cultural heritage of the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a memorial plaque.

There are such sculptures in the presidential palaces in Turkey, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia and Macedonia.